SAL (Story About Lies)
by Yamato's Tiger Lily
Summary: A story about lies implies there's a kernel of truth somewhere. The only truth you need to understand: This is not a love story. This is a story about survival.
1. When I First Saw You

Why yes, I too read the Korean manhwa, "Killing, Stalking" and this was inspired after having a conversation about the two. Keep in mind that, in no way, do I not think this is a healthy portrayal. This is not meant to be a shipping fic. This is more of an attempt of a character study between these two characters. Allow me to be self-indulgent.

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 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter One**

 **When I First Saw You**

A young teenaged girl, about 15 years old in age, named Yukako Yamagishi was in love. For someone like Yukako, she didn't have a particularly hard life growing up in the quiet, sleepy town of Morioh. She was always known to be cold, especially when people first met her. Her long, black wavy hair with her pale skin – along with her piercing eyes would frighten people away.

Even though she didn't have a hard life growing up, this still made her lonely. People averted their eyes once they realized how much of a bad temper she truly had. They would push her to her limits and she'd react. And people would get surprised, and they'd long abandon her. It didn't surprise her. What surprised her, though, was that people tried.

"Oh," the blond man chuckled as the two fell to the ground. Yukako had accidentally bumped into this business man on his way to work and she on her way to school. "My apologies." He extended out his hand to her, even though she grew angry immediately. She didn't want to extend her hand out. She had to make sure she wasn't hurt first.

Still, Yukako had to be polite. She had to at least thank the stranger for at least offering. She lifted her head to give the man eye contact to his blue eyes.

The man was extremely handsome to say the very least. An office worker who adorned a purple suit with a green shirt underneath. His tie had quite an unusual design – a skull similar to a cat's which surprised her and somewhat scared her. Still, with his combed back hair, save for a few strands that somehow framed his face to accentuate his features.

She could feel a throb in her chest. Like most young girls, she had longed for this feeling to show up – proof, she was a normal high school girl. Proof that she isn't just a cold monster for people to talk about. They think they she didn't hear them talk about how monstrous and how weird she was… she couldn't help but let the anger overwhelm the new deep feelings she had. Tears started to fall from her forlorn eyes. She had forgotten she was in the man's presence until that very moment.

"Oh? Why are you crying?" He got out a white handkerchief and reached over. Once he was close, he dabbed tears out of the way and Yukako could smell his rich, mahogany cologne wrapping itself around her heart, her mind, and her soul. Her heartbeats became heavier and louder.

She wanted to run. Could he hear the heartbeats? Couldn't he hear her thoughts of insecurity?

Did he realize what kind of power he had?

Yukako could feel her heart explode within her of a new emotion as he gave him a reassuring smile.

He gave out a chuckle. Every rumbling chuckle he made only made her heartbeat faster. She clicked her tongue as he put away the handkerchief in a breast pocket.

"Ah, you should hurry up before you're late for class." His voice was smooth as he was kind. Although, Yukako noticed he would glance at her hands every once in a while. She found this a little weird but paid no mind to it. She had to focus on her emotions. Those emotions that swelled up and down at a moment's notice, it seemed. She could slowly feel herself being enveloped by the new emotion. All she wanted to do this morning was to get to school.

She nodded. She tried to repress her emotions within her. Yukako brushed herself off. She just nodded politely and thanked the strange man. She tried to avoid his gaze. There wasn't a way she could look at him without falling. She couldn't look at him without drowning. She could never swim in the eyes of another soul like his. There was a power he had that he must've known. He must've casted his magic on this young witch, she determined.

"Thank you," she tried to say as composed as possible. She quickly turned around and ran as quickly as she could. She didn't know what the man had said in response with. She didn't want to stay to find out.

 **.x.**

Class was hard for Yukako. She could hardly focus on her studies. All she could think about was him – the man she ran into earlier. The kind man who wordlessly dabbed her tears away – ignoring her cruel eyes, her cold demeanor. He saw her for the high school girl she was. He didn't call her stuck up, weird, or a freak. Instead of anger and fear, he treated her with a smile. It's the only she ever asked for her fellow classmates.

During her usual lonely lunch, Yukako watched the other students around her and felt truly alone. It wasn't until then she felt lonely and worthless. People would always comment on her beauty before her person. The boys would make lewd comments about her beauty. The girls would comment on her ugly anger. All she wanted was to be left alone but after the interaction, she never truly realized how alone she was.

Tears, once more, came out and sprinkled all over her cute lunch. She couldn't help her feelings. She just wanted a friend but the man's kindness reopened wounds in her heart that she forced herself to forget. She wanted to just go on with the day. She just wanted to be left alone.

She just wanted someone to understand her.

People's laughter around her along with their gossip echoed in her ears. Maybe they didn't mean to do that. Maybe they did. She had learned from an early age, since she was an early bloomer, that people could be mean. Everything echoed bigger than it was. Did their ugly comments matter? Did they ever share a shred of humanity towards her?

 _That man did,_ her thoughts echoed. The rest of the day flew by, though it weighed on her heart. Yukako's heart swelled as she searched for the man. Maybe destiny would be kind. Maybe destiny would be gentle, for once.

Unfortunately, Yukako did not have such luck. Still, she decided to take a walk around the town for a bit longer before she went home. Her parents were always under the impression that she had friends but they never bothered to get to know her. Like so many others, they didn't want to take the time to understand her. Assumptions were always made about her – she's pretty so she must have friends. She's pretty so better tell her to not be a whore. She's this. She's that.

She could've sworn she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw the smaller Koichi Hirose. He seemed to go about his day with his delinquent looking friends. One of them looked strange with his outdated hairstyle while another had all kinds of money symbols adorned on him.

She momentarily stopped walking… in case they did call her. But it was clear they didn't. They laughed at some kind of joke that she wasn't privy to.

Maybe they laughed at her. Maybe it's because she answered. Maybe it's because she crossed their paths. How foolish of her. She turned away and kept walking. There wasn't any way she would be missed if she were to be gone.

The only impact she could ever have is a footnote on the tragedies of Morioh.

And she was fine with that.

She didn't know when she started walking again. She didn't know when the town became dark and deserted. Was she so lost in her thoughts she lost track of time?

There was suddenly a scream. A scream that belonged to an unknown woman. Being a human, she grew concerned and fled towards the noise. She started to run towards the source of the noise, against her better judgement, along with her self-destructive feelings. However, the scream was short lived.

She stopped when she realized it was quiet. She didn't recognize the part of town she was at. Yukako tried to find something familiar about the area and failed even as the streetlights came on. She decided to wander around. Maybe she could find a payphone to call her parents… She could use the excuse that her "friends" led her to such a shady part of town.

She grabbed her hair, a source of comfort, as she walked aimlessly. She wondered what that scream was. She wondered if they had gotten help. She wondered if she could even find help for herself. She brought a finger to her mouth. She started to bite on it. She felt nervous. She couldn't have done anything. Her hair was long and full, but it wasn't like she had powers to do anything about it.

She was just a stupid teenager.

"Oh, I didn't expect to see you." A familiar voice rang out. She didn't realize she cried once more. She whipped herself up to see the familiar man. He had a darker expression on his face but… it was rather late. "What are you doing out here? Didn't you hear about the serial killer in Morioh?"

He had his one of his hands behind his back for some reason and he seem to have winced. Yukako noticed some dark splotches on him as well but, because of the darkness, couldn't discern it.

"N-no…" Yukako replied softly.

"Here, use my cellular phone to call home." He fished with his 'clean' hand in his pockets. He seemed nervous. He seemed tired. He seemed exhilarated. Soon, he found it. He handed it to her – his breath became heavy.

Again, Yukako thought this was strange but she felt a sense of urgency from the man. Carefully, swiftly, hurriedly, she dialed her usual number.

A couple of rings echoed in her ear when she heard the other line pick up. She acted apologetic, still, never changing her facial features.

"Mama," she said into the receiver, "I'm sorry! I got a little lost. I'm at this area of Morioh… ah, I'm with my friends. You know how Aiko is!" She forced a laugh. She felt exposed. She knew the man knew the truth but Yukako was curious about her own truth.

She slowly explained the corner's names as she tried to read the characters off the sign and she, just as slowly, got the directions to the place. "Okay, Mama," she said gratefully. And hung up. She handed it back to the man.

She bowed once more, touched again by the man's kindness. She could feel herself smile naturally for the first time, but it's because she found another who could understand her.

"Thank you, once again. We keep running into each other… My name is Yamagichi Yukako!"

The man laughed nervously and seemed to sweat at the greeting. He seemed to want to decide on something before finally acknowledging her greeting.

"I'm Yoshikige Kira."


	2. I Loved You

So, finally, here's the second chapter for this fic! I had meant to update but I kept getting sick. I'm finally well enough to write and post something new! Thank you so much if you've been patient for the new chapter! Please feel free to leave me with your thoughts and kudos if you've enjoyed it!

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 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Two**

 **I Loved You**

"I'm Yoshikige Kira."

His shaky, unsure voice echoed in her head even when she made her way back home. After the two parted ways, Yukako hoped she would meet the man again. He smiled at her as the two parted ways once more. The smile was awkward but it was still a smile. Yukako could feel cupid's arrow take aim at her and struck her.

He offered to walk her home, though, it seemed rather forced. Even though Yukako would decline him, she had to hide her truth; his words, voice, would echo in her head.

From what she could tell, he's a handsome business man who was prim and proper about the way he carried himself. She didn't know his story but would only assume that this Yoshikige Kira was in good standing at work. He wouldn't be bullied for looking a certain way or acting a certain way. He had a sense of sophistication about him.

Yukako tried to carry herself in a similar manner but ended up being isolated from her classmates as a result. Still, she had to stand straight tall despite her insecurities on her shoulders. Yukako once again grabbed her hair and twisted it. The darkness allowed her, as she made her way back home, to imagine potential scenarios she could be with that man. Maybe he could've walked with her, though he offered, but Yukako didn't want her secrets revealed.

Her parents frequently worked and traveled overseas. She would hear them complain about it but they would still do it. She remembered she was very close to her mother when she was younger but that changed when bills started to rack up. When Yukako started to grow up, her parents wanted her to have the best education. They wanted her to succeed and be more than just a housewife although… Yukako couldn't help but wonder if they secretly thought that's all she could be.

It wasn't as though she had terrible grades. Her mother would try to get her to be more independent but Yukako always seemed afraid to be but as a teenager, she didn't have any other choice. Her parents' careers came first and they were always the first ones to be shipped out. Because of that, she wasn't allowed to invite anyone over while they were gone. It grew lonely quickly; but it wasn't like she had anyone to invite in the first place.

Finally, she arrived home. She whipped out her key from her bag and unlocked the door.

"I'm home," she said. She tossed her bag in her room as she walked the familiar path around the household. It wasn't as though they were poor, far from it; rather, they lived a comfortable life despite the economy's bubble bursting. Her parents were savvy enough to keep their financials to help ensure a decent life for themselves and their lone daughter. If they had gone, they would've left more than enough money for Yukako to survive on until they had arrived back home.

Most teenagers would've taken that money and spend it on junk food, games, or other frivolous things. Yukako, on the other hand, didn't allow herself to such hobbies. She was smart about it, or at least she tried to be smart about it. She is, after all, still a young teenager. She would occasionally treat herself to some delivery food, but mostly she would cook for herself.

There was silence in the house.

"I'm home, Mother," she repeated, although she knew she wasn't going to get a response.

They were never home.

Yukako reflected to the false phone call she had made. She was sure if the man checked the actual phone number, he would've figured out she called the information line instead. She felt horrible for lying to the only one in Morioh who understood her. Once she fully felt the weight of her lie, she could feel tears rise and fall.

It hurt to lie to him. She already knew, though, why it hurt so much. Yukako fell for this strange man and she fell for him hard. The images of the other students, Koichi Hirose, along with his strange looking friends, laughed at her after all. There was nothing else to laugh at besides her. She was foolish to believe they wanted her presence.

The young girl was unsure if she was sad because of her one thousandth lie, the fact her heart was lonely, or….

"I loved him," she said to herself as her tears came out easier and easier. "I loved him," she repeated to herself. She kept repeating herself until she fell to her knees. The cold floor did little to comfort her as she finally succumbed to the weight of her insecurities.

Anger then clouded her heart. It was a joke, wasn't it? Everything she had built up was for naught. It was a silly ruse of a lonely high school girl. No one would miss her if she were to disappear. Her parents purposefully chose their overseas assignment: they didn't want a daughter like her. She was never considered a 'problem child' but most people, including her parents, must have seen something in her that would cause them to cast her aside. No one at school hated her for some unknown reason. Her teachers would praise her occasionally but it was always so practiced, so fake. She knew she did well; she shouldn't be praised for the simplest things.

She rose to her feet and ran to her room. Her room was covered in darkness and she wanted to keep it that way. She knew where everything was. A rush of anger pushed her over the edge as she growled at the wall. Posters, pictures, and papers, which littered the walls, were ripped off in a fit of loneliness and anger. She knew exactly what was on them but it didn't matter anymore. He would never look at someone like her. She wasn't good enough for him. He was too cruel. He didn't realize it, but he was so cruel to her.

He made things worse by laughing. He made things worse by ignoring her. He made things worse. He just made things worse. Everything was worse because of him. He was at fault. He shouldn't have pointed at her if he knew she was there. He should've seen the tall, beautiful girl before him. She did everything in her power to take care of herself. Beauty was only skin deep, as children's stories go, but it's completely opposite. While it was true she was a natural beauty, Yukako still had to put some sort of effort into standing out but she did – to the wrong people.

After she had torn the decorations off the wall, Yukako cleaned up after herself. She placed the trash in the burnable garbage bag and never looked at them again.

She never wanted to see his face in the photo again. She now hated Hirose Koichi.

 **.x.**

Her head throbbed the next morning. Her emotional state the past night took such a toll on her she decided to skip school that day. It wasn't like anyone would go to get her. She had to pose as her mother, as she usually did if she had to take a day off, before the school could accept it. It wasn't like the class representative had any plans to visit her. She was on top of her grades as it were. A day here and there wouldn't affect her so long she could imitate her mother's voice.

For the day, she decided to clean up her room and go out to eat for lunch. She would dress in her mother's casual clothes and pin up her long, wavy, black hair underneath a scarf so no one would recognize her. She would place sunglasses on for an added effect. She had a craving for a certain café's sandwich that were both affordable and delicious.

 _Plus I can maybe see if I can find him on lunch break_ , she thought to herself as she thought excitedly. Already, she had forgotten the previous flame in her heart – it had long since been fanned out and charred away. She already felt lighter after throwing the burnable bag in its proper place. Never again will she have to experience a heartbreak such as that. She can move on properly. She can love again and she does.

"Yoshikige Kira," she repeated to herself. She repeated the name over and over to commit it to memory. She wants to remember the man who extended a hand to her, a handkerchief, his phone, his kindness, when it's such a chore for others to do. Luckily, the café she visited would often have office workers grabbing a lunch.

Unfortunately, she didn't see anyone she could recognize as him. Still, she took in the fresh air. Her headache had eventually gone away after she took medication and ate a light breakfast. Yukako imagined what life would be like if she and he had gotten together.

An idea popped into her head.

 _What if Kira is my true prince? What if he's sent here as a reminder of what I should give up in my life? Koichi-kun hurt me… he broke my heart. I'm tired of being hurt. Kira… would never do that to me. He's kind. He would never lay harm to me._

She remembered to bring her camera, but it was for naught anyway. Still, for what other hobbies she could afford to have, photography was one of them. Since people often left her alone, she would take pictures of life around Morioh. Granted, she was always polite about it if she wanted to take a picture of a person and sometimes they'd ask for a copy of the photo. She would charge them a small fee, as it was expensive to produce copies, but they usually didn't mind.

However, her real purpose was to find Kira and to start taking pictures for her new clear wall.

After she paid for her lunch, the young disguised teen walked around the town taking pictures of things she considered interesting.

Eventually, though, Yukako stumbled to the town's park where, under the big tree, she found her precious Kira. The man sat on the hill under the tree with a relaxed expression on his face. He seemed to enjoy himself and Yukako couldn't interrupt him. She remained in the shadows and took as many pictures of him as she could. However, soon, she realized that she hadn't gotten any pictures of his profile so she snuck around to get it.

Though, she didn't expect to see him holding hands with another.


	3. I Only Wanted to be with You

I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY. I had a lot of personal things going on and I had to indulge myself on other things. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and leave me comments telling me what you thought about it! Thank you so much for always supporting me!

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 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Three**

 **I Only Wanted to be with You**

To say Yukako felt a shock was an understatement of its own. She gasped as she tried to hide herself behind a tree. Already, she can feel the heaviness in her heart start to fall in between her fingers.

She was never going to be enough, was she? Was it her age? Was it how cold she is? Was it because she's just so odd? The rejection shot through her heart just as hard as she fell for him. Despair clouded her heart, her head, her eyes as she tried to keep it together. She hated crying in public – something she learned long ago. Even if she wanted others' pity, she would never want to appear so weak especially in front of him.

She tried to keep it together. She had to keep it together. There was no other choice for her. She had to make it home. The world titled and circulated – out of her mind, out of her control – she didn't know what to do. What could she do? Another man rejected her, another person took an angel and ripped at her wings…

However, before she could leave, she saw something. A shade of purple came into her vision.

She still spiraled down but the shade of purple kept her grounded. That's the color of hope in Yukako's eyes. He would never look her way. He would never be concerned about a mere girl – no, Kira deserved a woman. Yukako was only a girl of 15 so of course Kira wouldn't be interested in someone like her.

"Are you okay?"

Ah, that lovely voice of his. It echoed in her mind and in her dreams. She wanted to feel his hand against her cheek, as he caressed her. He'd gently call her name.

"Yukako-chan?"

 _Just like that, oh, please say my name over and over._ However, Yukako wasn't sure when she fell or when she realized she was under the tree she leaned against earlier as she spiraled.

When she could focus, though, she saw the man looking outward. There was a cool spring breeze that brushed against the couple and the head scarf tried to cover the scene but she pushed it away with her hand. She wanted to take in the sight before her.

Kira seemed to turn away from her and all Yukako could think was how handsome, how wonderful, how kind, this man was to a lowly girl like her.

After she adjusted herself, Yukako took this chance to take pictures of him and the scenery. She loved that she could capture him in that moment in time. However, once the camera shutter went off, Kira finally turned and faced her.

"Are you okay, Yukako-chan?" Kira asked gently. His voice echoed in her heart. It beat as the possibility of them being together grew within her fantasies. He didn't move from his spot, instead, he waited for the young girl to react. The wind blew between the two of them again and she smiled brightly, thankful her parents had gone on their business trips. Realistically, she would be left to suffer in her room under the guise of a fake cold so she took in as much of the sights she could. She was incredibly tempted to take a picture of Kira's gaze on her but she stopped herself.

While it seemed like an eternity passed, Yukako finally answered the question. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry about that...Yoshikige-san."

"That's wonderful. Oh, and it's Yoshikage."

She bit her lip.

"O-oh, I apologize!"

The man smiled, although a bit devilish, and chuckled. "It's no problem. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

The question was innocuous – was he going to bring up the hand Yukako saw? Did Yukako imagine it? Her curiosity spiked but she bit her tongue. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe she imagined it. She had to destroy the shrine of her previous love to make room for Kira – maybe she feared the worst. She breathed a sigh of relief. There didn't seem to be a sign of another person anywhere near the couple at that time of day.

She nodded. "Yeah, I went over to that café close to here and had a sandwich there… Have you?" She tried to hold back on her excitement. The fact Kira talked to her so gently warmed her heart and excited her. She pushed back her smile. She couldn't let him know how his very existence made her feel. Normal people didn't show emotion, girls like her were looked down upon, so Yukako stopped herself. She tried to calm her nerves – the longer Kira didn't bring up that other person…

"Yes, I have. I hope your lunch was a pleasant one." Kira stated as kindly as he could. He seemed to stare, once again, at her hands. She'd cut off her own hands and give it to him if he so asked for them.

Yukako slowly nodded her head. She let out a sigh however, the next thing out of Kira's mouth surprised her.

"Are you taking pictures of the park?"

He didn't ask her about school. He didn't ask her why she wasn't there. Such a simple conversation made her heart soar. He didn't pry into her personal business as most adults would. If he were anyone else, she would've easily grown annoyed. And yet, Kira wanted to know more about her hobby. Granted, she knew deep in her heart she wouldn't reveal her secret to him.

So she lied again.

"Yeah, I love taking pictures." She tried to remain as reserved as possible. Any slip up and Yukako would be exposed. Technically, it wasn't a lie. She did enjoy the hobby but she would never dare say who her subject was. "I wasn't feeling very well today so I stayed home, but I didn't want to stay cooped up."

Kira laughed softly. "I'm not sure your mother would appreciate it."

 _Ah, that's right…_ Yukako recalled. She had to lie in front of him once before. She had to remember to keep it up. "Oh, she's at work. If I make it home before then, it should be okay." The man smiled brighter and Yukako's heart melted. She didn't know what to do with herself. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with the man but she knew it wasn't possible. It wasn't like Kira was going to give up his work for her. Most likely, he was on lunch break himself as he grabbed a paper bag that was out of Yukako's sight before.

On cue, he looked at his watch. He got up and softly patted her on the head. The kind smile on his face never left, never wavered.

"I'm sorry for cutting this short, but I'm afraid I have to return to work. Shall I escort you to your crossroads?"

Disappointed, Yukako shook her head. She noticed that Kira didn't have the bag with him but she figured it was trash anyway.

"Well, if you're sure. I should get back to work. I must've overstayed my welcome." Kira gave a smile and a wink as Yukako's heart soared once again. He left after that. His walk was quick and Yukako tried to take pictures as quietly as she could. After she made sure the next film was ready for use, she then remembered the paper bag that lied on the ground still.

She grabbed it and noticed it smelled extremely foul. Curious, she opened the bag to discover a severed hand inside.


	4. But You Lied to Me

Warning! This chapter has some pretty detailed gore so please read this with caution! But yeah, I've actually been on a kick for this fanfic for a little bit so I really want to try to finish this as soon as I can! Thank you, as always, for your support!

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 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Four**

 **But You Lied to Me**

The stench attached to the image of the severed hand was enough to cause both shock and nausea to build up in Yukako's stomach. She immediately screamed and dropped the bag. However, her shaking fear wouldn't last long – the nausea built up very quickly and she had to throw up the lunch and breakfast she had before. She had to bend down to throw up and she tried her best to hide the vomit. To say she was ill was a complete understatement.

The image was burned into her memory – rot had already started to cover the hand as maggots crawled through, around it, on the hand, and around the jewelry that was left on the hand. Once was golden and silver jewelry were now covered with maggots and rotted skin. Any remaining fingernails had fell if not eaten by the maggots already. There may have been a few bones already exposed.

Yukako will never get that image out of her head.

The bag seemed clean and fresh and new as though it were a simple treat. She wanted to scream more; she wanted to tell people but this couldn't have been her beloved's bag! This wasn't Kira's bag! Tears welled up as she threw out any remaining food from her stomach but she cried in between her gags. She shook with fear and disgust – this wasn't Kira's bag! Kira must've had a similar back that he had – she simply didn't see it.

She cried as much as she could as the bag laid on the ground, somehow completely closed. Nobody walked around that route in that time of day. Yukako could feel her mother's scarf have tinges of vomit hanging off it as she tried to relax herself. She wailed out.

"Not my Kira!"

However, she knew if anyone had walked there and saw what was in the bag, no one would ever take her word that she had found it. She had no other choice.

 **.x.**

Once she arrived home, she immediately tossed the bag with the rotted flesh into the kitchen sink. Luckily, there weren't any dishes for the hand to taint. She stripped off her clothes and took a shower. However, she still cried. Her stomach was empty but the nausea wouldn't leave. There would be nothing for her to throw up at this point. Why would this be around Kira? Why would Kira have this hand?

She couldn't help but rock back and forth. She could feel herself breathe very heavily as she tried to process the image that haunted her and began its torture on her.

"Not my Kira," she muttered as she tried to cleanse herself. "Not my Kira… Not my Kira… Kira would n-never… Not my Kira…" Her mind tried to process everything and tried to force herself to be strong. But she still cried in the shower. "Not my Kira," her voice sounded more and more broken, more desperate, more hopeful, more despair. She was more than frightened, more than horrified.

She tried to retain her routine of cleaning herself up and getting dressed into something more comfortable, more normal. She wanted more than anything for things to go back to normal. All she wanted was to be with Kira and take his picture for her new collections. Desperate, Yukako tried to find something normal.

But, she avoided the kitchen. Frightened, horrified, sickened, scared, ashamed, these feelings kept her out and she refused to eat dinner that night. She couldn't sleep that night as the image would suddenly show in the darkness of her mind. Yukako hoped and prayed that this was just a nightmare – she would wake up with an actual cold. This was just all a fever dream.

Since her wall was now empty, she couldn't turn to her walls for comfort. As she lied there in darkness, as her somewhat dried hair layered around her head – to protect her, maybe – she shook under the thick blankets. Fear gripped her and horror kept her awake.

She never hated being alone more than she did at that moment.

 **.x.**

Yukako couldn't recall when she fell asleep but when she woke up, her head hurt. She couldn't breathe through her nose. Her eyesight was very foggy and everything moved too much. Her stomach was entirely empty and she knew she had to eat. But she couldn't. The monster in the sink that was wrapped in the bag was still there. It waited for Yukako to remind her of the lie that her precious Kira was.

She was unable to move.

However, she wasn't sure if it was her imagination but she was sure she heard the door open.

"Yukako-chan?"

The familiar voice sent a chill down her spine. Was this her imagination? Was she still dreaming? It was obvious that she had a cold and she was very much prone to fever dreams.

"Where are you, Yukako-chan?"

No, that wasn't from a dream. Her precious Kira had somehow found her!

"Are your parents at work?"

She couldn't move. If she moved, her head would pound harder. The emptiness of her stomach made it even harder to move. She knew she would have to miss another day of school – something she rarely did. She turned to her side and glared at the ghosts of her classmates.

 _They wouldn't care if I died._

A knock on her bedroom door, something she didn't remember closing the night before, echoed and her eyes widened. She looked up and, sure enough, her precious Kira stood above her head.

"Yukako-chan, are you feeling ill?" he asked. His voice soothed her and comforted her. She knew her precious Kira wouldn't, couldn't do such a horrible thing. It was a mistake. She grabbed the wrong bag by mistake.

"Kira-kun," Yukako smiled as she looked up at him with a grand smile on her face. Her savior was there and he smiled upon her. "How did you find out where I lived?" Her voice was hoarse as she was glad. Grateful tears fell from her eyes as she reached out to him with her hand. However, as she did, all she could imagine the rotted, severed hand as her own.

Before she could pull it back, in disgust, Kira grabbed her hand and rubbed it gently with his fingers. As expected, his fingers were as smooth as his words but there was an unease that built up as he did that. Something told her – "Yukako, this isn't right! Kira isn't who you think he is!"

She ignored it. There was no way her precious Kira would bring harm to her. Maybe she had forgotten to lock the front door, although she was sure that she did the night before. There was nothing odd about him being there.

"For a stalker, you sure are unaware about the world around you." Kira's smile scared her.

Then something hit her head extremely hard and she fell unconscious.


	5. That Hurts It Hurts

From chapter four on (until I say otherwise), things are going to be pretty graphic! In any case, I'm using this fic, if it's not obvious enough, to practice my horror writing more than anything. I've been really interested in writing horror so I figured this would be great practice!

As always, thank you for supporting me!

* * *

 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Five**

 **That Hurts. It Hurts.**

Yukako didn't know how long she was out but her head pounded and throbbed and ached. When she opened her eyes, though, it burned her eyes. She could barely move so she only moved her head. Her stomach growled and moaned for food and Yukako knew she had to get up.

However, she found she couldn't. She had to keep her eyes closed because the lights were on and they were bright. They were extremely bright; bright enough that she could even see it behind closed eyes – but at least it burned away the image of the hand in her kitchen.

As her body slowly woke up, she could feel how full her bladder was, how hungry she found herself, how parched she was, but she couldn't move.

 _Why can't I move?_ She thought to herself. She became worried when she realized something had truly kept her down. She tried to move her arms and legs – just something to move but nothing did. Panic gripped her head as hard as whatever pain she carried on her head – she wished to reach her head with her own hands but she couldn't move. She felt weak, ill, scared, horrified…

 _Where am I?_ She could feel her heart beat quicken and she felt frightened. It took a while for her eyes to focus once she managed to open them – the light was extremely bright. Despite her empty stomach, despite her growling stomach, she still felt very ill and nausea immediately built up.

"Where am I?" she echoed her thoughts out loud.

"Ah, you're awake finally." The once melodious voice had a tease of annoyance, anger, and disappointment.

"H-how—"

"No worries, I claimed to be a family friend. You've been asleep for a few days, and don't worry, I've taken loving care of you."

She should've been ecstatic. She should've been happy. She should've been flying to cloud nine with hopeful images of a future between them but instead, Yukako finally realized the situation: Yoshikage Kira had her strapped down, somehow, to her bed and she was unable to eat, to drink, to even use the bathroom. She didn't know how or why he came in and attacked her.

"You had something of mine, Yukako-chan. You should know better than to take things that doesn't belong to you."

Her voice cracked and crumbled. Hoarse and raw, Yukako knew she couldn't scream. No one would pay attention to her.

Already she succumbed. No one would come no matter what she did. She didn't bother to writhe in her straps. She didn't bother to cry – she didn't have any more tears to shed. She couldn't believe this was how she was going to die. However, at least Yukako could get her feelings out, she then said something that surprised even Kira.

"I wasn't going to do anything…I just wanted to know the truth, Kira." She closed her eyes. The light got too much for her. She grew tired. Yukako didn't know when she fell asleep.

 **.x.**

When she woke up, the light wasn't as bright and she was able to move this time. The young teenaged girl sat up and she felt extremely light. Her bladder still felt full and she finally noticed that she hadn't changed out of her clothes. Again, she didn't know how long she was out but she couldn't feel anything in her stomach, not even nausea.

And yet when she heard the usual flushing sound from her bathroom, Yukako's eyes widened and felt her body scramble towards it. Her bladder couldn't take it anymore and she didn't know if she would even make it.

The weakened girl tried to climb down the bed normally but because her legs had grown weak, she tripped over herself and fell on the ground. She finally looked at herself and noticed how skinny her legs were. She tried to scream but no sound came out. She couldn't bear to look at her legs! She tried to cover her legs with her pajama pants but she could finally feel how weak her legs were. She started to sob but, again, nothing came out.

She had to use the bathroom though. She had to use the bathroom – her bladder was way too full. She had to use the bathroom. Bathroom. Bathroom. _I feel so weak_. Bathroom. Bathroom.

"Oh, you need to use the bathroom?" Kira said as he saw the girl cry and crawl towards the bathroom. She didn't answer; she didn't even hear him speak. Bathroom. Bathroom. Bathroom. Bathroom.

Hardwood floor. A foot. It hurts.

 _It hurts. Stop._

Kira dug his dirty shoes into her and Yukako couldn't hold it in anymore. She urinated on the hardwood floor – something her mother always yelled at Yukako for not respecting her floors which wasn't true. But Kira made her a liar.

 _Bathroom. Bathroom. Bathroom._

The words repeated in her head as she urinated continuously on the floor. Maybe some fecal matter came out of her but the word "bathroom" resumed echoing in her mind even as Kira stepped on her and rubbed his dirt on her.

"Filthy. Your mother probably spent hours making that floor clean and here you are – defecting on it." He smirked at the scene. Yukako finally found her tears and cried as the words finally stopped and as she finally realized what was happening.

She curled up in her own urine and fecal matter and cried as Kira stepped on her. However, it wasn't fun anymore for Kira. She cried too easily at this humiliation. Yukako shivered and hated herself so much for showing this side of her to Kira. This couldn't be Kira. Kira was kind. Kira would help her up and clean her.

And yet, he read her mind. He grabbed her arm and lifted her up. "Come on, Yukako-chan, let's go clean up."

 **.x.**

Because of how long she slept, or was unconscious, she already couldn't recognize herself but she wasn't shocked. Her hair was covered with urine and fecal matter and her face had lost its healthy glow. Her face was puffy as it was horrifying. Her once thick luxurious hair had become stringy and greasy.

 _Who am I anymore?_

"Hurry up and clean yourself, Yukako-chan."

A familiar voice and she complied. No thoughts ran against her mind – just an emptiness. She just wanted to please him – she had already given up on the notion of someone "saving" her. She wasn't worth someone saving before. People ignored her in class when she was full and beautiful. People judged her for being beautiful and full.

Why would they bother now?

Yukako pushed herself to clean up. She forced herself to focus on getting the urine and fecal matter out of her hair, out of her crevices, and tried to get as clean as possible.

A knock on the door was heard.

However, it became too much. The steam of the bath got to her. She had to rest. She closed her eyes and rather enjoyed the hot water against her body, even though the knocks got even more frantic.


	6. Why Would They Notice?

This one doesn't have any gore scenes but hopefully this will give some insight on what certain people think about our captured Yukako. I've never really liked how Yukako and Koichi got together in the anime so I hope to change it a little bit to fit the story. Let me know what you think and, as always, thank you for supporting me!

* * *

 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Six**

 **Why Would They Notice?**

For Hirose Koichi, something seemed off. Granted, it took him almost a month to notice but it was just a feeling at first. Something was missing. He usually noticed the students around him because of his small stature – though ever since he became friends with Josuke Higashikata, a teen with a pompadour and an altered uniform, and Okuyasu Nijimura, whose face looked like it was stitched and had money symbols all over his own altered uniform, he felt himself grow a little. He didn't have an easy time making friends when he started high school and it was only by chance he had met the other two at the beginning of the semester.

However, it was during the morning announcements from their homeroom teacher was when Koichi finally realized something, or someone, was missing in his class.

"Ah, it seems Yamagishi-san is still sick." The teacher had glanced at his attendance sheet and adjusted his glasses accordingly. He didn't seem to be too worried about the missing teenaged girl, and neither did the other students. It struck Koichi quite odd though – from the beginning of the semester, Yukako Yamagishi had always attended class unless she was sick – and even then, she was usually absent for a day or even two if it was particularly nasty.

Granted, she was always alone and it wasn't like she was approachable. She always had a cold aura about her that made it hard to approach her. Still, Koichi had always wondered if she was alone and longed for company.

Koichi was distracted with thoughts about Yamagishi-san that morning. He wasn't sure why he bothered to think about her now. He slept fine. No odd dreams. Nothing about his daily life in Morioh was anything different.

 _So why am I thinking about her now?_ Koichi asked himself as he wracked his brain over and over on why now.

Eventually, it was lunchtime and the two other tall teenagers sat around his desk as they usually did. As per usual, the two boys didn't bring their lunches and prepared to steal from Koichi's own lunch. It was part of the new daily routine between them so Koichi always made sure to pack extra for himself and his friends.

However, Koichi hadn't realized it was lunchtime until Okuyasu called his name along with Josuke and poked him with a mechanical pencil.

"Hey, Koichi, are you there?" Okuyasu asked. His raspy tone brought Koichi back to earth and Koichi had to remember to bring out his lunch box.

"Ah! Yeah, sorry… I was just thinking – Yamagishi-san's been out for a few weeks now, hasn't she? Isn't that kind of odd?"

"Who?" Okuyasu asked in between bites after he immediately started to pick from the open box. Josuke gave him an annoyed look and then turned to Koichi.

"What makes you think of her now, Koichi?" Josuke asked. He was always very blunt and sometimes it annoyed Koichi. "I mean, we only see her around town sometimes outside of class." He extended his thumb and gestured behind him to illustrate his point.

Koichi shrugged. "I have a bad feeling. Something doesn't feel right. She usually isn't out for this long."

"Hm," Josuke continued. "Come to think of it, I think there's a serial killer on the loose. They say he targets good looking girls too… Do you think Yamagishi-san is good looking, Koichi-kun?" He gave him a teasing smile despite the seriousness of his words. There wouldn't be any way a girl like that would even allow a serial killer to come near her, right?

Okuyasu was the only one who ate between the three of them but once he swallowed whatever food he had and opened his mouth to speak. "What? Really?" He looked to Josuke who tried to play it off as a joke but this didn't dissipate Koichi's worry. In fact, it made him more worried.

He hadn't said two words to the girl other than some kind words once upon a time – she was cold then as she was cold now. Would a serial killer be able to see through her aura? Would he take advantage of someone as lonely as Yamagishi-san?

"Hey, Hirose-kun!" cried out a student after the door was opened. "The teacher wants to see you in the office!"

 **.x.**

Koichi was a bit unsure of going by himself but Josuke insisted things were fine. Things had to be fine. Nothing happened in the sleepy town of Morioh that no one else knew about. If anything, she probably came down with a serious illness and has someone taking care of her.

 _She's fine, right? She's safe at home, right?_ His unease only grew as he made his way towards the teacher's lounge.

It was through the hallways he realized how short he truly felt. For as long as he remembered, people always looked down on him, literally, and no matter what he did to help himself grow faster, people always made fun of him and joked.

He remembered before orientation: Koichi wanted to make a good impression towards the other classmates and his teachers so he made sure he was prepared. He figured out the easiest route from his house to the school and saw a beautiful tall girl. Her hair was full and thick and black as night while her pale skin reflected the sun's hope.

In between the route, there was a fountain which cooled down the growing warm spring day. She stood there and watched the water gently flow into each other and the wind blew through her thick locks to help comb it. She looked so peaceful and comfortable as it was a secret Koichi alone had discovered.

However, he never approached her. He left her alone. Once he could get a closer look on her face, he saw a bit of puffiness under her eyes. Tears still seemed to flow from her face and her smile turned into a bitter mark of defeat.

It wouldn't have been right of Koichi to approach her. It would've been one of the few times he was thankful for being short – he could easily hide and watch her silently take in a defeat he didn't see before. The scene touched him in a way that he couldn't have imagined.

However, when orientation started, he saw other students walk around him, ignore him as they always did, he saw her familiar locks of hair. It stood out somehow against the brightly bleached and brightly dyed hair styles of the teenaged girls around them. Koichi never really had a preference but after he saw her cry that day… he wanted to understand her tears.

He kept silent even then. However, something caused him ("Oops, didn't see you there!") to run into the young girl which caused them to fall and drop their books. The girl was quiet and took it in stride though a large sigh did escape her lips. He felt embarrassed and apologized for bumping into her and even offered to help pick up her things.

"It's fine." The girl simply said. She picked up her things and just left. However, she left her handkerchief. She seemed to be in a rush but they still had plenty of time before orientation started but Koichi saw that as a chance to talk to her. Maybe become friends.

And when he saw her in his homeroom in what would be her regular seat, he smiled brightly and walked up to her and cheerfully said hi to her.

She stared with him, coldly, as she watched his every move. This didn't bother him too much – he wasn't there to hurt her. He just wanted to be friends.

"You dropped your handkerchief at orientation."

She didn't thank him. She silently took it and Koichi tried to strike up conversation with her but by that time, it was time for class.

The memory ended once Koichi made it to the doorway of the teacher's lounge and looked for his homeroom teacher. Once he glanced around the room, he found him and walked towards him.

The teacher seemed to be focused on some paperwork and grunted when he saw Koichi. The teacher was young but it was clear he was already exasperated by his career choice. He took off his glasses and turned to give Koichi eye-contact.

"As you know, Hirose-kun," he immediately started, "Yamagishi Yukako has been out of school for almost a month, as I'm sure you've noticed. You're the only one who even talks to her – can you make sure she's okay when you give her the day's homework?"

Koichi relaxed as he understood what the teacher wanted him to do. He smiled. "Sure."

 **.x.**

"Why did we have to come?" Okuyasu asked as he slouched and walked alongside Josuke who walked with a straight posture. He clearly sounded annoyed but he didn't seem to mind it all that much.

"Eh, it's fine. It's not like we had anything better to do anyway." Josuke reasoned.

"Ah, that's true I guess…" Okuyasu answered.

"Plus, I have to do my daily duty!" Koichi bolstered as they followed the directions the teacher had given Koichi. It was true that Koichi was trusted with a duty usually entrusted to the class representative but the teacher must've picked up on how worried Koichi was somehow. Sometimes teachers are a bit scary…

Once they made it to the correct address, Koichi straightened up as much as he could and Okuyasu and Josuke were by his sides. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer – a mother or father.

 _I wonder what her parents look like!_ Koichi succumbed to his curiosity.

However, when the door was opened, a man with blonde hair, styled stylishly, and a suave smile with a purple business suit stepped out. He looked nothing like Yamagishi-san…

"Ah, are you here to drop off Yukako-chan's homework for the day?" He extended his hand and Koichi felt a shiver up and down his spine.

As though he had met him through a previous life, Koichi had a visceral reaction towards the man but he tried his best to keep his cool – even through stuttering words.

"Yeah! We're friends from school and we wanted to check up on her!" Josuke quickly stepped in to cover for the stuttering Koichi.

The man kept his smile and let out a chuckle. "Is that so? My, my, Yukako-chan hadn't mentioned you at all. How come you haven't visited her before?"

"Ah, that is, well, uh," Josuke started to stutter himself as he tried to make up an excuse.

"Who are you?" Okuyasu's blunt question made the man falter ever so slightly but he merely chuckled more.

"A-ah, I'm a family friend of Yukako-chan's. There's no need to worry, she's in good hands."

The house behind him was eerily quiet and it was starting to become clear that this man didn't want these young men closer in the house than they already were.

Finally, Koichi found his voice. "Uh, we just wanted to know if Yamagishi-san would be coming back to school soon!"

The man smiled as he grabbed the folder and used an unnecessary amount of strength to take it from Koichi, who tried his best to hold onto it – but the man's grown strength was no match for Koichi's.

"There's no need to worry. Yukako-chan's in good hands."

A slam.

The three teenaged boys stood there in befuddlement at the door in front of them. Who was this strange man? Why did he try his best to get them moving?

The three boys moved away from the house in silence but there was an unusual chill.

"Don't leave that girl behind!" A young girl suddenly appeared in front of them. The area around them suddenly became chilling, as her grip – a vice like grip – prevented them from moving any further.


	7. But It's Coming Undone

Here's the next chapter! I just have to warn for some hints of gore in this chapter but it's only a little bit. This chapter is slightly longer but I chose to use this as an exercise to write Josuke as I'm not really used to write from his perspective. Hopefully I did a good job!

* * *

 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **But It's Coming Undone**

"Don't leave that girl behind!" A young girl suddenly appeared in front of them. The area around them suddenly became chilling, as her grip – a vice like grip – prevented them from moving any further.

The three teenaged boys were shocked at the fact they couldn't move as they used to. Everything around them was the same – although there didn't seem to be anyone else around.

A dog suddenly appeared and blood from its neck followed it. The image of the dog caused the teens to gasp and scream and stammer at the sight of the bloody dog. And yet they were frozen even with the death-like grip which kept them in place. The dog's steps didn't falter as it was used to such reactions. It turned its neck, which exposed the wound further to the horrified teens.

A young girl stepped out from a corner. She looked to be about their age. Short hair which curled up at the ends with a headband on her head. She had extremely light eyes and there seemed to be an innocence about her. She wore a pink choker around her neck along with a short dress that flattered her very well. She wore platform sandals on her feet and she would've been another fashionable teen had the situation been different.

She reached over and pet the dead dog's head and the dog panted and wagged its tail – happy to see her.

However, her focus wasn't on the dog – instead, it was on the boys before her. They were still very clearly horrified but they had grown curious about the young girl before them. Something was off about her; she almost didn't seem human in some ways they couldn't put their fingers on.

"Don't leave that girl behind." The girl repeated herself. Indeed, her voice matched the one from earlier. "That man that answered that girl's door… he's a serial killer."

The grip finally let go of the teens and Okuyasu was the more frightened of the three – he tried to get away but she stretched out her hand. "Don't turn around!" She yelled at him and he complied immediately without uttering a single word other than screams.

"W-wh-what do you mean?" Koichi finally managed to let out.

"That man… he's a serial killer… and that girl accidentally found out…" She sounded remorseful. It was clear she never intended to put these boys in this situation but she didn't know how else she could've done it. "I tried to warn her!"

"Wait," interrupted Josuke as he tried to calm the scared Okuyasu and, once again, stuttering Koichi. "Wait, you mean to tell me you tried to warn her? How come you didn't stop her yourself then? How come we have to do it?"

The girl, still remorseful, bit her lip. "I've already extended my abilities too much just by coming to this neighborhood. All I could've done was send her one message – one message that he's a killer. I… couldn't save her."

"I couldn't save her like how I failed to protect myself."

Regret and sadness dripped from her tone. "That man has been killing for too long… if you could see what I could see… you'd see all the women he mercilessly killed. All of them had their hands cut off – his mark.

"He didn't cut my hand off because I angered him. There are those like me around too. I wanted to prevent that fate of Yukako-chan. I don't want her to end up in this darkness. Too many have perished."

"What does this have to do with us?" Josuke coldly stated.

Koichi and Okuyasu were both shocked at the tone of voice their friend had towards this pleading ghost. It was clear that the ghost wanted to protect Yukako this much but it was also clear the ghost could only do so much.

The young girl didn't flinch from his question. "Because I've seen her truth. Her truth is a sad one. That young girl reminds me of a girl when I was alive – she was always alone and no one paid her any mind. Then one day, she disappeared. For weeks, then months, she was gone. No one noticed she was gone.

"Finally, one day, some children had decided to play in the park only to find her strangled body – rotting. People were shocked. After the investigation was concluded, it was found out that her father had been abusing her for months. She was withdrawn and didn't seek help and no one reached out to her when it mattered.

"Yukako-chan isn't being hurt by her family. Please don't misunderstand! But her truth is a lonely one and that man… that man might lead her to a similar fate. Please… save her."

The girl tried to emphasize as much as she could – again, regret dripped from her story. Even in life, she must've been as silent as a ghost for her to never reach out to that girl who had died. And yet still Josuke remained cold.

"I don't know what that has to do with us. We'll let the proper authorities know. Now let us return to Morioh."

The girl sighed as she let the boys return to the realm of the living. However, a solemn look haunted the three as she and the dog disappeared.

 **.x.**

"Hey Josuke, that's super mean. Yamagishi-san could be in actual danger, you know!" Okuyasu said, surprised at his friend's cold reaction towards the ghost's story. It was clear that even he was touched by it and Koichi remained silent. He seemed a bit angry towards the taller teen. Josuke tried his best to avert his eyes. He could already feel the pangs of guilt from the comments. However, he couldn't deny his own feelings.

"Okuyasu," Josuke started. "Drop it already. We'll tell the authorities and hope for the best."

"Josuke-kun, we really should try to save her," Koichi finally spoke up. "I don't think just letting the authorities know will do anything."

Josuke remained silent.

 _I know it wouldn't._

He sped up. However, the two teens behind him managed to catch up to him. "Josuke-kun!"

Finally, Josuke turned around. Anger filled his heart as his own anger blinded him. They just didn't get it, did they? It's not that simple. It's easier to say it than not.

"Just drop it already! We'll talk to the police if it makes you both feel better!"

The two teens were immediately silenced and Josuke just clicked his tongue as he turned back around.

"We'll figure something out," Josuke said silently.

 **.x.**

Josuke Higashikata wandered after the three separated. It was hard to talk to the others after that. There was a thickness and heaviness between the three. Josuke couldn't go home just yet.

He wandered around Morioh further and managed to wander into different neighborhoods. It was common that Josuke would wander around the neighborhoods to gather his thoughts. However, while it was true he wanted to save the girl – he didn't know the first thing to do.

He didn't have a power that could fix things. He couldn't fix things. He couldn't fix things.

He could not fix things.

Memories from a year ago flashed in his mind as he recalled his grandfather's funeral. A memory of a murder was something Josuke was all too familiar with.

While his grandfather was a policeman, the town of Morioh was just quiet enough where he would always come home with a smile and something in his cup. He, his mother, and grandfather were all he had. He didn't know anything about his biological father other than he was rich, was bored, and used his mother as a plaything.

However, even though he and his mother struggled, his grandfather was always there to support them – the man helped raise him to the best of his abilities until that day.

That day was just another day – he was on patrol, supposedly, going about his day and checking up on everyone and made sure students weren't playing hooky. However, one day his grandfather was found dead, murdered.

They tried to investigate who had done it but the case went cold. No one ever figured out who killed his grandfather or why.

He can't fix them. He can't bring his grandfather back to life. He can't fix him.

"What are you doing in my neighborhood, Higashikata-kun?" a familiar voice brought him back to the present. The sun started to set and Josuke found himself near Rohan Kishibe's house. The eccentric young man stared at him angrily as he seemed to have braced himself.

The two had gotten acquainted when Koichi had discovered the author of his favorite manga lived in Morioh – and Rohan was strange enough to find the young man interesting. Since the two had recently became friends, Rohan had the misfortune of meeting Josuke.

The two had barely gotten along together as Rohan was more focused on his work than the games. Often, Rohan was the victim of Josuke's pranks and, at one point, Josuke nearly burned down his house.

"Ah, hey Rohan," Josuke purposefully used his first name to annoy him. "Nothing. I was just in the neighborhood."

The manga artist looked at him through narrow eyes. His strange fashion puzzled even Josuke as he would often wear crop tops and a strange green headband wrapped around his head. It was clear Josuke couldn't hide from the observant eyes of the manga artist – he wasn't a successful artist for nothing.

"What's wrong? Any other time, I'd tell you to get the hell out but it seems something is seriously troubling you."

Josuke was unsure of this statement.

"What? I don't use everything for my manga. I'm not that cold and callous. Come in. Just don't try to burn down my house again."

 **.x.**

Josuke sat outside on the patio furniture Rohan set out and watched the sun set as he reflected to the ghost girl's pleads to save Yamagishi Yukako.

Rohan had gone inside to get some snacks and tea for his guest; it allowed Josuke to reflect on the time she had been there and gone. It was true – that man was right. How come they didn't bother to reach out for her until that day?

In all honesty, Josuke had always noticed she was gone. He ran into her once when she seemed to buy film for a camera. Usually, he recalled the girl always being so quiet and unenthusiastic about everything. She always had a cold look and an equally cold aura about her. And yet such a simple thing like getting film for a camera gave her such a smile Josuke never thought she could have.

It struck a lightning in him that he didn't know occurred within him – especially if he could recall such a memory amid his angst. A bright smile among the dark clouds of his heart cleared the storm a little bit.

He couldn't fix it though. He couldn't find his grandfather's killer – what made him think he could save that girl's smile from a monster like that?

It wasn't like he didn't believe the ghost girl's story. He remembered his mother recalled a similar story from her youth and that always stuck with him. He had befriended Koichi Hirose completely by chance – same with Okuyasu but there was something about the two he couldn't ignore.

He let out a sigh as he felt the cool air blow through his face and pompadour.

"So, will you tell me what's troubling you?" Rohan asked, surprisingly gently.

Josuke turned his attention back to the eccentric artist and let out another sigh. He explained the situation to Rohan who, at first seemed bored but perked up as he went on. However, after Josuke told him the part about the ghost girl, he wasn't sure if he even cared how crazy he sounded anymore.

"You feel guilty about your grandfather's death so you won't even bother to help this girl? This is why you annoy me so much – you act like you're something special but deep down, you're just like everyone else. You're actually very simple-minded and you really don't see the big picture sometimes. Don't use your dead grandfather to ignore this girl's pleas."

Josuke knew he made a face. "You didn't have to be so blunt."

Rohan gave him a confused look. "You asked for advice; I'm merely giving it to you."

Josuke could feel himself grow more annoyed by the minute. He knew he was right; he just didn't want to admit it.

"Well, what the hell can I do?!" He let his anger burst out. He couldn't admit how angry he actually was – at himself, at Rohan's accurate description, at the mysterious killer, at that man at Yamagishi-san's house.

Rohan didn't flinch at the teen's outburst. "You can save her, you know. It really is that easy. You just need to put effort into it."

Even after Rohan being blunt, even after his angst about his grandfather, after his outburst to Koichi and Okuyasu, Josuke knew in his heart he had to help save Yamagishi-san. He had always seen her around school and town – he couldn't approach her. How could he have approached someone like her? She always seemed so cold and isolated.

He didn't know when he got home and dialed the number, but he was surprised to hear Koichi's mother's voice on the other line.

He knew what he had to do now. Rohan was right. He didn't need to use his grandfather's death as an excuse not to do anything anymore.

"Hello, this is the Hirose residence."

Instead, Josuke should use his grandfather's death to protect those who need protection.

"May I speak to Koichi-kun please?"

And Yukako Yamagishi needed that more than anything.


	8. A Bright Smile Among the Storm

Okay, so I got seriously distracted watching the first season of "How to Get Away with Murder" and I nearly forgot about Monday's update! Aah!

Fair warning for this chapter: this has some pretty disturbing content but no worries - there's only two more chapters for this series left. We'll see how Yukako will manage to get out of this awful situation!

* * *

 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **A Bright Smile Among the Storm**

It's 6:24 in the morning.

"Wake up, Yukako-chan."

With a flutter of her eyes, Yukako opened her heavy eyes. She couldn't sleep comfortably. Her stringy hair had grown within the days and weeks she was trapped in her own home. It was so heavy. It hurt to lift her head. It hurt to move her head. Her head pounded – from hunger and thirst and she needed to use the bathroom and her hair is so heavy.

He undid the straps that kept Yukako to the bed. By now, her bed had indented itself to her body as she wouldn't be allowed to move around. By now, her bladder was used to being full. The first week was hard to get used to – but she eventually adapted.

Kira helped Yukako towards the bathroom and then the dining room since her legs were so weak. He would give her a simple breakfast as it was clear he never usually made breakfast for two. He always had the meatier plates while she had the minimum – only enough to sustain until lunch but it was still obvious that Yukako had lost an incredible amount of weight.

However, the homework from school was opened and Yukako obediently did it without complaint. If she didn't… she would've been punished.

The two ate their breakfast in silence as Kira presided over her and watched her do her homework. Sometimes, it would be hard for her to hold the pencil but Kira would be kind and help her hold it again. Sometimes, he'd try to copy her handwriting since she would be so weak – but those would be the bad days.

It's 8:12 in the morning.

"Yukako-chan, you've been good."

There would be days when she was bad – the days she couldn't do her own homework. Those days were scary – after she couldn't hold a pencil, she would be strapped in. Now she realized Kira brought in some straps from somewhere and managed to strap her to both her bed and a recliner her father used to frequently enjoy his evenings in. She would sit there the entire day.

Her hands would hurt so much – she would force herself to write until her wrists cramped. When her wrists cramped, she kept going until her body forced her to stop. Those bad days were awful. She wouldn't have been able to move. He would force the television on and make her watch some awful daytime dramas she wasn't interested in. She couldn't care. She sat there blankly and let the noise pass through her. She would be hungry but she was unable to move.

Her voice was gone, no matter how much she wanted to scream and shout.

But she released a sigh of relief. She didn't want to make it obvious though – it could change his mind. It could make him decide she's bad. She wasn't bad. She was a good girl. She held her pencil. She didn't wet the bed. She didn't complain about being hungry and thirsty and scared. Her only escape was sleep and when she could move around.

But she was good.

It's 10:32 in the morning.

"I've left you some lunch, Yukako-chan."

But she was good. She could roam around the house on the promise she wouldn't leave. The singular instance she tried to leave, Kira had decided to come home. All he had to do was strap her to her bed all day to remind her where she was supposed to be. She starved, and thirsted and cried until she slept out of pure weakness.

But she was good.

She could roam around the house and she wouldn't leave. She had to eat all the sandwich contents Kira had laid out or he would consider her bad. She forced herself to eat but her body rejected the food sometimes. On days it could go down, she could feel a twinge of energy from the foods she ate. She knew how skinny she felt as her clothes hung off her more than it usually did – and there wasn't much she could do.

But she was good. So, she was free.

It's 17:54 in the afternoon.

"Yukako-chan, have you been good?"

Of course she has been good. Yukako had the freedom to watch more television shows than usual. Yukako developed a taste for a particular romance drama that she didn't used to care for: a story about a girl who took on the four popular boys in her school after the girl's friend had been bullied. She had always wished she had a friend who would stick up for her, as anyone would.

And yet, Yukako didn't miss school. She didn't miss the students ignoring her. She didn't miss the teachers only slightly caring about her.

Nothing about the outside world she missed – even when she thought she heard a few familiar voices outside the door.

And even when they sounded concerned…

But Kira slammed the door and she caught him glaring at her. She didn't feel a thing. He glared at her like this when she was bad and she prepared herself to be strapped down again the next day.

She was bad, after all.

However, something surprised her: he didn't lash out at her this time. Kira shrugged off the frustration and started to make dinner as she was too weak to do it.

It was 19:12 in the evening.

"Eat up, Yukako-chan."

Once again, his voice was somewhat kind had this been a different situation. There was still a strange sense of anger and edginess to his tone that Yukako couldn't help but become nervous. And yet, he assured her – even in this situation, his kindness echoed in her mind.

Still, nothing in her heart resurfaced. Any lingering feelings she had for him died with her old routine as soon as this new routine was born.

After they would eat, Kira would once again walk her to the bathroom to bathe and he would leave the door cracked open. He would try to respect the girl's privacy but he kept close in case she would faint in the bath.

No matter how many times Yukako cleaned herself, she didn't feel clean enough. She didn't complain about her heavy hair. She didn't complain about being weak.

It was 21:53 in the evening.

"Yukako-chan, have sweet dreams."

As she lied on her indented bed, strapped, eyes heavy, she sighed as she recalled the day and the past days, past weeks, the past month.

Normally, she would just fall asleep as she didn't have the strength to stay awake long enough – however, she was lucky enough to be good that day and she was able to stomach a sandwich.

The voices from outside – somehow, someway – dragged out what remaining tears from her and it slid down her face. She tried her best to stay quiet. She was never sure where Kira slept in her family's home, the house she grew up in.

Yukako was soon blinded by her own tears as she realized that maybe, just maybe, someone from school had come to check on her.

Maybe that's why Kira looked at her in such a way. Maybe that's why she might be punished tomorrow. But she didn't think about that.

The only thing she could even process at this point was: "I am tired of this."


	9. A Serial Killer in Morioh

This chapter has some pretty disturbing stuff. Please only read if you're able to handle gore - it's not detailed or anything but this chapter is especially intense. As always, thank you for supporting me!

All I can say is: Kira will never change his fate.

* * *

 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **A Serial Killer in Morioh**

The past week was hard. Kira was angry at her and kept her strapped onto the bed for days at a time. She nearly starved to death and she couldn't sleep. She didn't want to close her eyes for the last time and have her last memory on earth being strapped to her bed like a wild animal about to be tamed.

Once Kira realized his mistake, he allowed the girl to go free for the next week. He managed to give her a little extra food – maybe a sad attempt to start fixing his wrongs. However, Yukako tried to plan it out. She was going to leave.

She wasn't going to wait for people outside to save her anymore. Because she was forlorn, because she thought of herself weak, everyone smelled it and basked in her weakness. She had been biding her time though.

Yukako's stomach had to get used to the extra food in her stomach but she slowly and surely built up her strength.

Sometimes, she would look outside the windows, which were glued shut, and was surprised at herself. At first, before this horror, she looked outside and was sad that she could be in the sun and no one saw her. During this horror, she looked outside and was hopeful that someone would wise up – her parents would notice she hadn't called for money lately and someone would come see her.

And now, she looked outside and knew she could build the strength to leave this hell. She had to get the strength to leave or she will die. This was her mistake – she fell for a man who was a murderer.

Kira had never bragged about being one. As a matter of fact, he seemed more content than Yukako had ever seen him in the fleeting time she had known him. It was quiet even though he held a teenaged girl captive.

That night, Yukako had forced herself to recall, she remembered when Kira was covered in a dark substance. That must've been blood. The discovery of the hand was no accident, she figured. There wasn't any way a man would've been able to acquire such a grotesque souvenir and think nothing of it.

"How was your sleep, Yukako-chan?" Kira suddenly asked as she remembered the two were at the breakfast table together.

As per usual, she nodded and responded, "It was fine." A usual lie but Kira seemed to enjoy that lie.

This whole thing started with lies. She lied she didn't know what he was covered in that night. She knew from the beginning. She lied to herself – she never stopped loving Koichi Hirose and even now, hoped he would stop by. She lied to herself. She wasn't hurt by Koichi ignoring her. She was hurt because she didn't have the strength to talk to him. His kindness from the first day touched her and it was more than just that.

He always tried to find excuses to talk to her during class and was very kind to her; but her aura was just so cold – it could chill even the warmest of hearts.

She lied. She wasn't trying to get pictures of Kira. Her pictures were her way of trying to show the world of how she saw it – how beautiful it is with its simplicity and with a silent moment, time was frozen. Her pictures meant the world to her. She didn't want to take pictures of Kira.

It was all a lie. She missed her parents so dearly. Even though they didn't understand her, they loved her pictures and often encouraged her to pursue her hobby. Something they could agree with – an echoing click of the shutter kept Yukako's hope for her parents' love together. They often talked about the sights she had seen around Morioh and encouraged her to travel one day after she finished college.

All she had done is lie. It was time to tell the truth now.

She tried to hold her tears back, yet. If she cried in front of Kira, that would be bad. She held it back.

Yukako had to lie only one more time. Just one more time. This time, her lie would protect her life.

After Kira put food out for a lunch later for Yukako, he left for work. He long snagged her key, threw away her keychain, and pocketed it. However, Yukako had always known how to leave – it was her house after all.

She waited a few hours. She didn't know if he had planned to come back, if he had forgotten something. She couldn't take that chance.

Yukako ran into the kitchen and dug around. It hurt her legs to move and her arms could barely bend but she pushed through. As she dug around the kitchen, she realized that Kira must've hid the knives, or even anything sharp, from her as he must've known she had planned to eventually do something about her situation.

She clicked her tongue in frustration – almost an unnatural sound from herself but it was a spark of her old self – as she was resigned to use the butter knife instead.

 _Anything can be a weapon if you try hard enough. Right, Kira?_ Yukako thought as she picked it up.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it would've been stupid of her to try to leave through the front door – it's so obvious. Instead, Yukako decided to climb about the house. The familiar nooks and crannies started to come back to her as she tried to find a window that wasn't permanently shut away from the world.

She knew it was partly because of her lack of strength that she wasn't as able to open the window but if there was a sliver of hope… she had lost a dramatic amount of weight and she wanted to see if she could use that to her advantage.

Eventually, she managed to find a window in a forgotten part of the house – it was in a backroom her parents barely used and one that hadn't been tended to since Yukako had been Kira's hostage. She gripped the butter knife tighter as she tried to make the window wide enough for her to squeeze through.

She didn't know what would happen if people saw a teenaged girl as skinny as she was now along with thick and heavy hair. She looked like a ghost.

Yukako laughed honestly at how the neighbors would react.

She was surprised at herself but then smiled honestly since the ordeal started. Already, she could feel her power return to her.

Yukako slipped outside the window and the summer sun had nearly blinded her. She fell to the ground and took in the fresh air – not something that's generated from a machine. She could feel dirt under her hands and the grass tickled her bottom. She had forgotten that she wasn't wearing shoes, much less slippers. Kira threw them out with the burnable trash.

When she got up, she could feel the warming concrete as she made her way around the neighborhood.

Again, she laughed. She had a limp and already she grew tired. Her long heavy hair made her sweat as she could feel her breath make things worse. She could barely breathe but she kept going.

Seemingly, no one in her neighborhood was around. Everyone at this point must have gone to work or school but she wondered if stories about a deranged ghost of a school girl would show up.

However, she ran into something.

"Going somewhere, Yukako-chan?"

His grip was strong and Yukako could feel him try to break her arms, they felt so brittle. She groaned out in pain and tried to look at the person through her hair.

Alas, it was Kira. His facial expression was a mix of anger and pleasure.

"Is this what I get for being nice to you? Why can't you just be a good girl, Yukako-chan? Now you're making me embarrass you in front of your friends."

She was surprised and tried to look around for someone – maybe Koichi? Maybe one of his friends? But she didn't see anyone there.

An honest laugh.

"Yukako-chan, no one cares about you."

A lie.

"Your parents haven't contacted you in a month."

A lie.

"Those boys only now care about you because they want to be a hero."

Another lie.

"What a waste… if only you waited a few more years, maybe we could've had something special after all."

Yukako screamed. All those were lies!

Lies!

Lies!

All he ever spouted were lies! Lies! Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies

She raised her hand to stab him but Kira laughed.

Lies Lies Lies Lies Lies Stop lying Lies

"LIES – NOTHING BUT LIES. STOP LYING! STOP IT STOP IT."

She yelled out suddenly – she couldn't stop yelling. She suddenly had the strength to scream and tried to stab him even when Kira threw the knife down.

However, he grew irritated with her screams and cries of lies.

"LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES!" she continued to scream and holler. Something in her head snapped.

"I'm so tired of this."

He threw Yukako on the ground and Yukako yelled out in pain. Finally, three teenaged boys showed up at the scene in the middle of the street.

"Yukako!" yelled out Koichi. Josuke, Koichi, and Okuyasu had showed up and they all seemed to be out of breath – it was evident they rushed over from school.

"STOP LYING STOP LYING STOP LYING LIES LIES LIES I'M TIRED OF ALL THE LIES MAKE IT STOP NO MORE LIES NO MORE LIES NO MORE LIES." Yukako had curled to a fetal position as the teenaged boys took a good look at her for the first time in months.

It was clear they did not recognize her at all. She was much thinner than she should've been. She was much paler than she should've been. Her hair was thicker than it should've been. Bruises were everywhere on the young girl's body. Scars on her body. She had lost so much weight – she was skin and bones.

Koichi immediately went towards her to try to calm her down. Josuke and Okuyasu were both frozen at the sight of the teenaged girl before them – shock evident on their faces. However, soon the two looked at the man who stood there, with a bored expression.

"Please leave," Kira said bluntly. "This is a family matter."

Josuke gritted his teeth. He didn't think – he went up and tried to punch Kira in the face but the older man dodged it. Okuyasu tried to get some punches and kicks in but the older man could miss more punches and kicks than expected. The two teenaged boys tried to get him as Koichi tried his very best to calm a very broken Yukako.

"STOP LYING TO ME PLEASE STOP LYING I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE LIES ANYMORE WHAT IS THE TRUTH I CAN'T HANDLE ANY MORE LIES JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH."

Koichi tried to help her relax by telling her soothing words but it didn't seem to get to her.

However, when he turned to face Josuke and Okuyasu, the other two boys had been clearly beaten up by a singular grown man and Kira had his cell phone out.

He seemed to take delight in the situation before him and laughed.

"If you're so worried about her, I called the police and an ambulance – I'll just have you punks arrested and have them take poor Yukako to the hospital – maybe to a mental institution. It's clear she's not of sound mind right now."

As he was true to his word, the sound of ambulances and police sirens echoed in the town and seemed to get closer.

"No one will believe your lies."

Koichi then fell to the ground himself as Yukako found the inhuman strength to lift herself up and ran up to Kira.

"STOP. LYING!"

She pushed him to the ground and when he fell to the ground, it was then the ambulance tire crushed his head against the pavement getting blood on everyone around him.

The only sound that could be heard in Morioh that day, as they say, was a blood-curling scream of a teenage girl.


	10. When He First Saw Me

Thank you so much for reading this to its completion! I honestly thoroughly enjoyed working on this and I feel I grew as a writer - I still need practice with writing horror, I feel, before I can work on any original to call my own. I really would love to hear your thoughts on this story and the outcome of everything.

* * *

 **SAL (Story About Lies)**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **When He First Saw Me**

A young teenaged girl, about 16 years old in age, named Yukako Yamagishi was not in love. For someone like Yukako, she was always easily impressed by beautiful landscapes covered by weather in the quiet sleepy town of Morioh. She was always known to be cold, especially when people first meet her. Her long, black wavy hair with her pale skin – along with her piercing eyes would frighten people away.

However, if someone had given her the time to look in her eyes, they would see her childish, beautiful, and lonely soul.

The young woman was confined to the hospital bed but she had a much healthier glow. The hospital gown wrapped around her tightly and warmly – any hints of scars and bruises had disappeared a long time ago. She was safe, and full, and out of harm's way.

The police had understood the situation between her and the man she killed. The truth of everything was Kira had targeted her from the beginning. She wasn't supposed to see him that night he killed another young woman and yet she did.

He had intentionally given her the bag with a rotting hand. The police never told her whose hand it was – but it wouldn't have mattered. He had stalked her before then but decided to act that night to kill her slowly in her own home. Yukako still felt the guilt of killing a human being and that she saw such an awful sight – however, she was glad Kira was dead.

She had been missing for a total of one month. The three boys who helped her didn't get charged with anything as it was stressed they were there to protect her and help her. However, it was clear that Yukako was the only one who protected herself and saved herself.

Her parents visited every day and declared they could never forgive themselves for ignoring her for so long because of their careers. As a result, they somehow arranged it where they would do much less traveling and more time together when she's recovered. They always made time to see their daughter and begged for her forgiveness.

In truth, Yukako couldn't forgive them just yet. The wounds on her heart from them would need a lot of time to heal. It wasn't that simple for them to just ask for forgiveness. Yukako had to sort through a lot.

She was to be expected to leave the hospital in the middle of summer but she had to stay longer because of complications from her brittle bones, her health, her weight, her lack of sleep, the bruises and scars had become infected. The nerves in her legs were almost destroyed.

Apparently, Kira would often try to break her legs in her unconscious state, or at least hurt her enough to cause a limp, so she wouldn't run away but Yukako had been strong and resilient.

The three boys visit her whenever they could and she looked forward to their visits, truthfully. They apologized profusely for ignoring her and waiting for so long.

In truth, it was easier to forgive them than her parents. She couldn't expect them to see her all the time. They were only classmates after all.

However, she couldn't help but cry when she was alone. Instead of pushing them back, she let them flow freely. She was happy she survived the ordeal and she knew it was going to be hard to move forward from now on. People would see her differently – not just a cold-hearted wench, but a wench who attracted and survived a serial killer. She wondered why she was chosen to suffer in this way and yet she cried grateful tears.

That moment from that day when she pushed Kira to the ground – Yukako could remember a girl with short hair and a choker. There was a dog and the girl pulled Yukako up. When she touched the girl, strength had suddenly transferred to her and that was when she did it.

At least, it felt like it did. In truth, there was no additional power. All the ghost girl did was pull her up.

Sometimes, she dreamed about that girl and the dog and she remembered one dream in particular.

In one dream, Yukako would be in her school uniform again but she was in a strange part of Morioh she did not recognize. She worried if this was another Kira nightmare but she turned to see that girl – though she didn't have the dog with her this time.

"Hi Yukako-chan," the girl said gently. It was clear Yukako didn't like the nickname "Yukako-chan" anymore.

Yukako remembered she couldn't even speak – no words came out no matter how much she tried to yell.

"Just… let me say this, please."

Yukako was struck. However, she understood her and nodded.

"Thank you, for surviving and for knowing your truth. I know it's scary to reach out to people and I know people think of you as a certain way. I know you're not cold-hearted. I know you're not cruel. You're not a murderer. Kira was. He killed me.

"But you have survived. I'm really happy I could finally help someone. Please, stick to your truth. You're a kind girl who has a big heart and has a lot of love to give. I know that. Please, be happy."

The girl's voice was gentle albeit sorrowful. When Yukako woke up from the dream, she felt tears come down her face and even as Yukako recalled it, she could feel more tears spill from her eyes. She didn't cry for Kira anymore. She didn't cry for an imaginary love anymore.

She cried for that girl in her dreams. Yukako didn't even know her name. The girl had a gentle smile and a gentle aura – something she wished she had.

Yukako didn't hear the door open and only saw the teenager next to her when she turned her head. Josuke stood there and he tried to play it off as though he had gotten the wrong room.

The young girl didn't say anything but let the tears fall. She couldn't lie anymore.

Josuke slowly pulled up a chair and brought it next to her. He sat there in silence as the young girl cried for the ghost who thanked her in her dreams.

Soon, the girl finally stopped crying and Josuke turned to her and saw the naked emotions on her face. He held his breath as the snow outside fell and covered the quiet December night. He exhaled and tried to think of something to say.

"It's a lovely night, isn't it?" he finally said. Yukako sniffled and nodded and looked at him. He knew by now that she never glared at people – it was her natural face that happened to fall like that. Josuke sighed once more as he tried to find something in his thick jacket. His pompadour was still his traditional look but he still looked stylish for a delinquent-looking teenaged boy. Yukako couldn't help but keep an eye on him. She didn't and couldn't trust anyone hiding anything from her. She could feel herself shake from fear of whatever he might bring out.

She tightened her grip on the blanket as Josuke casually brought something small out.

He tossed it casually to her, as though he didn't notice her grab the blanket on top of her and it managed to land in front of her.

Below her, through the dimmed lights of the hospital and the lights from outside, was a colorfully wrapped present. Yukako couldn't discern the pattern or the colors on it but she released an audible gasp as she reached for it slowly.

She heard the teen laugh nervously and she looked up at him. He seemed even more nervous when she had her eyes on him but she couldn't imagine why.

"Uh, I saw you buy some film one time… I wasn't sure what kind of film it was so I got you that instead." He averted his gaze as he tried to get her to focus back on the small gift. Curious, she turned back down on her lap towards the gift.

It was something she could easily handle and she opened the gift as swiftly as she could.

As it turned out, the gift was a disposable camera. She was surprised that the teen with a very outdated hairdo gave her something so thoughtful.

She smiled earnestly. She held it up and was already ready to take pictures with it.

"Thank you so much, Higashikata-kun," Yukako said gratefully.

Josuke's face softened and smiled a bit more. "You can call me Josuke."

"Oh, I didn't realize you were already here, Josuke-kun!" A familiar voice surprised both Yukako and Josuke and they turned to see Hirose Koichi, also with a small gift in his hand.

"Sorry about that, Koichi-kun," Josuke said. "My family's Christmas party ended a little early this year since my nephew had to leave early so I thought I'd visit Yamagishi here." There seemed to be an almost disappointed look on Josuke's face but Yukako was done with falling in love. It hurt too much and it nearly killed her. At the very least, it was just nice to have people visit her, besides her parents, at all.

Yukako felt warm as she saw the other teenaged boy, Okuyasu, come with some hellos as well. Yukako opened the gift Koichi and Okuyasu gave her – another disposable camera and a cute stuffed animal.

"It's to keep you company – it's probably lonely when we're not here, huh?" Okuyasu wondered out loud. Yukako was honestly touched. She smiled and kept the teddy bear close to her. She nodded slowly.

"Thank you."

The boys around her smiled brightly her and kept her updated what went on at school and in their lives. From what Yukako could pick up, Okuyasu and his father had started to bond together since his brother's death – Yukako had no idea he was going through such an ordeal…

Josuke's missing father appeared and had decided to make a grand entrance at his family's Christmas party. While he wasn't too happy to see him, at least he got to see his nephew and his mother was happy to see the man. All Yukako could say was that she was happy for him.

Koichi and his family seemed to be getting along. His older sister had been in college and had made plans to visit them during New Year's. Yukako wished she could leave the hospital to be with her parents but she supposes it was okay since they'll visit her.

It was quite noisy in her hospital room. That quiet December night became lively and noisy and normally, Yukako would've been annoyed. However, while it seemed Josuke and Koichi vied for her attention, it was nice to have friends.

Would it be too bold to call them her friends?

"You boys there," called out a nurse as she popped her head in the noisy room, "visiting hours are over."

Yukako smiled. She couldn't help but wonder if this was out of pity.

Would it be too bold to call them her friends?

"We'll be back!" Okuyasu said. He must've picked up on a looming sadness. "We're your friends after all! Just hold on to your teddy bear until we come back!"

Relieved and happy and comforted and warm, Yukako smiled brighter. Josuke and Koichi, again, seemed a bit different but she was just so happy. Even though her life was in mortal danger, she was safe now. And best of all, she finally had the truth out – she had friends, she had a family.

A young teenaged girl, about 16 years old in age, named Yukako Yamagishi was not in love. However, she had something she never thought she could have – a new beginning.

* * *

If you've managed to read through the really heavy stuff, I commend you because there's a lot of things that happened to our dear Yukako - who managed to safely pull through.

I'm sort of debating if I want to make a sequel to this series but that's only if people would like to - although, the next one would focus more on Yukako's recovery process - and maybe a potential love triangle. But that's all up to you, dear readers! Please let me know what you think if you'd like to see a sequel!

As always, thank you for always supporting me.


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